What Once We Were
by TheDarkestMind
Summary: Eleanor has been on her own for the past five months. She has done things she isn't proud of. Lying, stealing, letting people get killed, and killing. She has done all those things in order to survive. Nothing will stop her from getting to Montana. If she has to kill, then she will kill. Takes place one year after The Last of Us
1. Chapter 1

**SPRING**

Eleanor stared down at the man before her. No, not man. _Thief_.

When Eleanor had woken up that night, she had found her backpack missing. She mentally kicked herself for not double checking the locks on the house she had found earlier. Truth is, she was tired from running away from the Clickers that she went upstairs to the nearest bedroom, laid down her backpack near the bed, removed her quiver and bow and placed them in a closet, and flopped down on the musty old bed, falling asleep instantly. She had intended to sleep until it was sunset. She always traveled at night. It made it easier to avoid Runners and Clickers. That, and she wore all black, camouflaging herself in the shadows of the dreary night.

But instead of waking up to the light of reds and oranges, Eleanor woke up to the sound of something closing. She quickly got up from the bed and reached for her backpack. Even though she had a bow and arrow, she always carried a gun just in case. All Eleanor felt was air. She then saw that her backpack was nowhere to be found.

"Fuck!" She slammed her fist against the mattress. How could she have been as careless as to not checking the locks? Sure she was tired and she felt like her legs were going to fall off at any second, but she should have checked the locks.

Not hesitating, she quickly got up and ran to the closet to her quiver and bow. She had twenty-eight arrows in her quiver, and she was going to use as many as she can to kill the person who stole her backpack.

By the time she made it outside in the front porch, she could see a faint silhouette of someone running down the street. That person wasn't far. She ran down the steps of the house and chased after the person. Though the streets were empty of cars, the pavement was cracked and uneven. Eleanor had to be careful not to trip. The last thing she needed was to be injured. In the five months since she has left West Haven, she did not get one injury. She did get the occasional cuts and bruises for bumping into something, but not one bone in her body had been broken. And she intended to keep it that way.

After thirty seconds, the silhouette of the person ran up to a house that looked like it was on the verge of collapsing at any minute. The person ran up the steps of the house and fumbled with the door knob.

Eleanor took advantage of those few seconds. She swiftly pulled an arrow from her quiver and took aim at the person. Once she had a clear aim at the person, she released let go of the wire and the arrow went sailing through the air. She heard the person yell in pain.

A man. It was a man.

Finally, the man got the door open and slammed it shut. Eleanor ran run up to the door and just as she was about to turn the knob, she heard a clicking sound on the other end of the door. The man locked it.

Eleanor couldn't help but let loose a chuckle. "A lock door is not going to save you." She stepped away from the door and in one swift movement, she kicked the door open. Being that the house was beyond old, the door wouldn't handle being kicked open.

Inside, she saw a trail of blood leading towards the living room. She followed the trail and immediately paused. On the couch was a pink sleeping bag with purple stars. On the floor was a blue sleeping bag that had a yellow stars.

The man had kids. Eleanor hadn't seen a kid in a long time. But seeing that the sleeping bags were not occupied, the kids must be hiding somewhere. Eleanor continued to follow the blood until it lead to a set of stairs. As she slowly walked up stairs, bow and arrow ready at hand, she heard faint voiced coming from a closed door. Once she reached the door, she pressed her ear against it.

"Are you alright."

"It's really in there."

"Don't pull it out. You'll make it worse."

"Daddy, what's going on?"

"Dad, are we going to die?"

"Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen."

"Where did you get that backpack?"

When Eleanor heard about her backpack, she sprang into action. She kicked the door open. A woman screamed and two kids shrieked in terror.

Eleanor saw a woman huddled in a corner with what Eleanor presumed was her children, while the father was in the center of the room, lying down and clutching his leg. The arrow was lodged deep in the man's leg. He was incapacitated for the time being.

Eleanor took a closer look at the man. No, not man. _Thief. _The man was probably in his late thirties. His brown hair stuck out at several angles. It's been a while since he washed his hair. She turned to face the woman and children. The woman was tall and lanky. Her dirty blond hair disheveled. A boy who looked like he was no less than ten was holding on to his mother while a girl who looked about five was hiding behind her mom. Both had their mother's hair, but it was covered in dirt and oily.

_They're survivors,_ Eleanor thought. _They're trying to survive. _Eleanor turned her attention back to the man clutching his leg.

"Please! Please," he yelled. "Please leave! Don't kill us!"

Eleanor looked around the room and saw a closet.

"Is my backpack in that closet?" She still hadn't taken her eyes the man. She was staring daggers at him.

When the man didn't respond, Eleanor walked to the closet, holding her bow and arrow in one hand and opened the door. On a shelf above her, was her black backpack. She reached up and grabbed it.

"I'm sorry. We were hungry. I-I-I had to take it." The man said. Eleanor turned to look at the man.

"So you were going to let me die while you and your family ate all my rations?"

The man went still and didn't say anything. What she said was right. Inside the backpack was a first aid kit, two maps; one of Colorado and one of Wyoming, four water bottles, several bottles of medicine, her gun and several rounds of ammunition, a lighter, a hunting knife, a nail file, and at least twenty granola bars.

"You didn't answer my question," Eleanor said as she crouched near the man until they were eye-to-eye. "Were you going to let me die in order for you and your family to live?"

The man stuttered before he could even get a clear word out of his mouth. "Uh-uhh- y-yes?" It was more of a question than an answer, but Eleanor let that slip.

She stood up. "Do you know how long I've been surviving?" She asked the man. The man just looked up at her. She didn't even let him answer. "Five months. Five months I've been on my own. Five months of running and hiding from Bandits, Runners, and Clickers. Five months of hunting for food and water. Five months of going on a march through a fresh Hell."

Eleanor was not exaggerating when she said all that. For five months after she left West Haven, she had been doing her best to survive beyond the walls of West Haven.

"And do you know what I had to do to survive?" The man shook his head in fear, as if saying the answer was wrong.

"I've done things that I'm not proud of. Things that I never thought I would do. Lie. Steal. Let people get killed so I can live. Kill." As Eleanor said her reasons, her mind wandered to all the times she did all those things. True, she was not proud of it.

In the five months since she's been traveling, she lied to people about who she was. Eliza, Elaine, Ellen, Elle, she never told anyone her name. As far as they know, she was just some random girl scavenging around for food. The last thing she needed was for anyone to know her name and track her down. It's best to not let anyone know who you are. If she had to lie in order to survive, then she would lie.

She had stolen from people. There was a small settlement a few miles back. Eleanor had been careful not to let anyone see her as she snuck in and stole medicine and food. When she left the settlement, she felt like the biggest ass in the whole world. She had stolen necessities that people needed in order to survive. But the feeling quickly went away. If she had to steal in order to survive, then she would steal.

Letting people die, however, took a while for her to get used to. There were times when she had to let people die. She recalled one time when she was running away from a pack of Clickers. She climbed up a ladder of a semi-truck when she heard someone call out for help. At the top, she looked down and saw a man running towards the ladder with Clickers chasing after him. She should have jumped down and kill the Clickers with her bow and arrow. But there were too many of them. And they were coming in fast. Eleanor had no choice but to jump down on the other side and dash into an abandon building. With the door closed, it muffled the sound of the man screaming. It sounded like a banshee. Eleanor spent the rest of the night crying. She should have helped him. She should have. But she didn't. When she left the area later that night, she realized that no matter what she did, that man was going to die. Even if she did help, he would die no matter what. And helping the man would get her killed. That no matter how much she did, not everyone can be saved. As much as she didn't want an innocent person to die, she had no choice but to let them die. Since that night, there had been two people she didn't save. A woman who was running from Runners, and a man who was hiding from bandits. She had been near those people but didn't get involved. She let the woman and the man die. Each death weighed in on her. But instead of letting the guilt get to her, she reminded herself that people die. Whether she stepped in to help or not, they would die, no matter what she did. If she had to let people get killed so she can live, she would let people die.

Killing. It was one of the many, many,_ many_ things she thought she would never do. But she did. The bandits who killed the man she had let die were the first ones she killed. After the group of bandits killed the man, she followed them to a coffee shop. Hiding behind a car, she peeked over and saw them talking among each other. She could even hear one of them bragging about how he bludgeoned the man's head with a hammer. When they went to sleep, Eleanor went inside and saw a small gasoline tank near a metal barrel. It must have been use as a lighter fluid to fuel the fire that was coming from inside the barrel. Eleanor quietly uncapped the tank, and spread as much as she could inside and outside the coffee shop. She had even poured around the sleeping bodies. Outside, she took out her lighter and a rag from her backpack. She had many rags inside, so it wouldn't be a waste. She lit the rag and dropped it on the trail of gasoline. She walked away as she heard the screams of the bandits. There were some people who aren't meant to live. Those were the first people she had killed. And she didn't even feel sorry that they died. If anything, they deserved it. Not long after she killed them, she killed again. She only killed bandits. Just bandits. And people who tried to kill her. And there have been a lot of people. There are some things better left unsaid. If she had to kill so she can live, she would kill.

Staring down at the man, she contemplated on what to do with him. She did feel sorry for him. He was a husband and a father looking out for his family. A man who would do anything to ensure their safety. Anything. Eleanor understood his actions.

She turned around and began walking towards the door.

"DON'T!"

Eleanor turned around just as the man pulled a gun from his back pocket. He aimed at Eleanor and pulled the trigger.

_Click._

No bullets came out of the gun. The man looked at the gun stunned. He took aim at Eleanor again and pulled the trigger.

_Click click click_

Eleanor reached inside her backpack and pulled out her gun. She walked up the man and pointed it at him.

By now, the man had tears in his face. "Please! Please! Don't kill me!" He was now hysterical.

Whatever feelings Eleanor held towards the man were now gone. The only feeling she held was anger.

This man tried to kill her. She knew what she had to do.

"I'm sorry. I really am."

Eleanor pulled the trigger.

The woman and children screamed as the man slumped down to the floor. A single bullet hole in his forehead. Blood was already seeping from his wound.

Eleanor just stared at the man that tried to kill her. She looked at the woman and children. They looked at her in fear. Eleanor just stared at them. The boy had let go of his mother and slumped down next to his father. The mother and daughter stayed in the corner, still crying.

After a few seconds, Eleanor left the room. Once she was downstairs, she looked back up the stairs. She had expected one of them to chase after her. But no one came.

Once outside, Eleanor ran. She ran and never looked back. As she ran, she shed a tear for the man that she killed. He was protecting his family. She quickly wiped the single tear away and ran.

Eleanor just ran.


	2. Chapter 2

**FALL**

"_Mommy? What's wrong?"_

_A young Eleanor was staring at her mom with her round eyes. She had woken up from a nightmare and walked to her mothers' room. She had expected to find her mom sleeping on her bed. But instead of sleeping, she was awake, sitting on a chair and was looking out the window that was next to her bed. _

_Still clutching her favorite teddy bear, Mr. Scruffy, Eleanor walked up to her mom. Despite looking like she hadn't had any sleep, Eleanor still thought her mom was pretty. The moonlight shone down on her pale face. Her green eyes staring at the bleak night. Eleanor tapped her mother's thigh, but got no response. She was still looking out the window. _

"_Mommy?"_

_As if by a miracle, her mother broke off from whatever trance she was in and looked down at her daughter._

"_Hi sweetie. Shouldn't you be in bed?"_

"_I had a nightmare."_

"_Aw…come here." _

_Eleanor allowed her mother to pick her up and buried her face on her shoulder. She could feel her mom rubbing her back softly while rocking her back and forth._

"_It's alright sweetie, it was just a nightmare. There's nothing to be worried about. It wasn't real." Her mother's soothing words made her feel safe. _

_But still…_

_Eleanor knew something was wrong with her mom. Earlier, before her mom put her to bed, Eleanor could see something wrong. She kissed her on her forehead and left the door ajar, the hallway light seeping from the small space. Her mother would always read her a bedtime story. Or she would get Mr. Scruffy and pretend that he was an explorer, searching for the beautiful young princess who was inside a walled city. But she didn't do any of those things. She just left her there. _

_Removing her face from her mother's shoulder, she looked up to see her mom looking out the window again. _

"_Mommy? What's going on?"_

_Her mother looked down at her, her loving face now sad._

"_I-I have bad news sweetie."_

_Her mom carried her to her bed and sat her down as she knelled down to see Eleanor eye-to-eye._

"_Do you remember Ms. Anderson?"_

_Eleanor nodded, remembering the sweet lady who would babysit her when her mom was working on the garden in the courtyard. Ms. Anderson would tell Eleanor stories from when she was young, before the world ended. Eleanor would remember each story Ms. Anderson had told her. Building that could touch the sky. A giant wheel that would carry you from the ground to the top and back down again. How Ms. Anderson and her family would go to the beach and play in the ocean. Eleanor had enjoyed being with Ms. Anderson and vice-versa. What's wrong with Ms. Anderson?_

"_Eleanor…" Her mother looked away, blinking out tears. She looked back at her daughter._

"_Ms. Anderson died today."_

_Eleanor just looked at her mom. _

_Ms. Anderson…dead?_

_The tears came immediately. She brought Mr. Scruffy up to face and cried into him. Tiny muffled sobs. She felt her mom wrap her arms around her and held her tight. _

"_It's okay sweetie. Cry all you want. It's alright."_

_Ms. Anderson, the lady who smelled like mud and dirt, the lady who told fascinating tales of her life before, the lady who always brought a smile to Eleanor's face, was dead._

_After a couple of minutes, Eleanor looked at her mom._

"_H-h-how d-did she d-die?" She shuddered as she barely got the words out._

"_It happened while you were at class. She and some other people went outside the walls to get supplies and food. But her and her group got attacked by Clickers."_

_Eleanor knew what Clickers were. She would always hear them spoken by the other people in West Haven._

"_She was the only one who didn't make it. All the others came back. Just not her. I'm so sorry Eleanor."_

_They hugged for a long time, not wanting to separate. _

"_I knew they were right."_

_Her mom pulled her away and walked to the closet door. "I always knew they were right. I just wanted you to wait a few more years before you started."_

_Eleanor watched her mom reach up in the closet and pulled out a small black box. _

"_Come on sweetie. We're going outside."_

_Eleanor didn't say anything as her mom led her to the top deck of their house. Outside Eleanor could see the tree tops from behind the wall. She saw fireflies floating around in the night sky. _

"_Do you know what's out there sweetie?" Her mom waved her hand at the tree tops._

"_Clickers." _

"_That's right. And do you know why we live in a walled settlement?"_

"_So we can be safe."_

"_Exactly. But Clickers are still out there, regardless if the wall wasn't there. And sometimes we have to go out and get supplies, you know that right?"_

"_Yes."_

"_And those who do go outside always carry guns with them. Do you know how the learned to use those guns?"_

"…_No."_

"_I knew this day would come eventually." _

_She knelt down next to Eleanor. "They know how to use those guns because the needed to learn how to use them. If they didn't learn, then they wouldn't survive. They would get killed. So they learn how to use a gun. Not only that, they also learned how to kill Clickers. They _have _to learn. Otherwise they would die."_

_Eleanor watched her mom open the black box. "I never really saw you holding one of these. I thought that maybe everything would settle down. But it didn't." _

_She sighed before she went on. "I know you're only six, but like they said, you're never too young to learn, I guess."_

_She looked at Eleanor._

"_Do you want to die Eleanor?"_

"_No mommy."_

_Her mother pulled out a gun from the box._

"_Then you will have to learn how to kill."_

* * *

One minute the buck was eating grass, the next it dropped dead with an arrow lodged in its neck. Eleanor smiled triumphantly as she got up from the log she was hiding from and ran up to the dead buck. Just to be sure, she gently kicked its side to see if it was still alive. No movement. Perfect.

Tonight, she will feast like a king.

"Alright. New problem. How am I going to drag it back to the cabin?"

She was at least a mile away from one of the many cabins in the forest. When she arrived at the area not too long ago, she presumed the cabins were for hunters. Realizing that she was on hunting ground. However, the only hunter around was her.

She rubbed her hands together and grabbed the buck by its antlers.

"Here we go."

* * *

One hour, two chafed hands, and one sore shoulder later, Eleanor had managed to drag the buck outside of the cabin she was occupying. Once she let go of the heavy beast, she went to work on the fire pit she had built. Since it was already autumn, it was getting to be colder and colder by the day. She had managed to gather enough firewood to last her the whole night. Granted, she didn't want to draw any attention to bandits or even Runners, so she settled for a small fire pit. Big or small, so long as she got to eat. After lighting the pit, she took out her hunting knife and went to work on the buck. After cutting the thighs and stomach, she now had something to eat. She took one of her arrows from her quiver that hung on her belt look, and jabbed it with some thigh until the meat was in the shaft.

Hey, arrows can be used for other things besides killing.

Like a camper roasting marshmallows, she was cooking fresh meat. After a few minutes, she held the now cooked meat up to her nose. Oddly enough, it smelled like chicken. Then again, she never had buck before. She had rabbits, birds and squirrels, but never a buck before. Like a bear, she bit down and tore a chuck of it from the shaft. It even tasted like chicken. She quickly gobbled it down and went on to eat the rest of the buck. She had gone to sleep hungry and when she woke up at sunset, she could eat horse. Or a buck in this case.

After nearly eating the entire buck, Eleanor rubbed her food baby tummy and let out a loud belch.

"God that was fucking delicious."

Throwing dirt into the fire pit, she took the few remains of the buck and went back inside the cabin. It must have been a beautiful place to stay in. When she found it earlier, dust hung in the air and it was entirely trashed. Broken windows, cabinet doors open, ransacked closets, and over tossed beds. Closing the door behind her, she pushed the bookshelf near the door until it fully covered the door. She went into one of the bedrooms that had a window that wasn't broken. She removed her backpack and took out three small containers. Stuffing as much meat as she could in them, she sealed them and took out a toothbrush and toothpaste and one of her water bottles. What most people failed to realize was that even in the apocalypse, they still needed to brush their teeth. Eleanor remembered seeing people in West Haven with most of their teeth missing. The last thing she needed was to get cavities or even an infection. After brushing her teeth, she went into the dining room where her map of Wyoming was spread out on a table.

After several months, she had finally made it to Wyoming. She had passed the border between Colorado and Wyoming two days earlier and was closer to getting to Montana. All she needed was to walk another God knows how many miles until she reached Montana. Easy, right?

She looked at the map. She was near the town Rock Springs. Once there, she would take highway 191 and walk until she found Jackson County. She vaguely remembered a man she had met a while back saying that there was another safe haven there. When she reached Jackson County, she would rest for a few days or weeks and continue onwards.

Plan set, she put away the map in her backpack and double checked she had everything.

Food, check. Water, check. Medicine, check. First aid kit, check. Knife. She looked down at her leg to the strap that held her knife. Check. Bow and arrow. Her bow was sticking out of the flap from her backpack while her quiver still had enough arrows. Check. If she needed more, she would just find sticks and use a rock to make new arrows with some bird feathers. Gun with ammo, check. Toy? She dug around in her backpack until her fingers felt the plastic cape. Check.

The toy always amused her. It was a man who had on a red cape with a blue jumpsuit with red at the bottom, red underwear that was on the outside, and a giant S on the front of his jumpsuit. She wondered why this superhero had underwear on the outside of his costume. Makes him look kind of stupid. But that was her opinion.

Slinging her backpack over her shoulders, she pushed away the bookshelf and was now starting her long, long, _LONG _walk across Wyoming.

As she left the cabin, she had to walk over the dead bodies of Runners and Clickers with arrows sticking out of their bodies. Bandits, Runners, Clickers, they would all meet the demise of her arrows. She hoped that if someone were to see all the bodies, they would go off in a different direction and not go to Rock Springs. All those bodies spoke a sentence: Fuck with me and I'll kill you.

She even had that in mind when she killed that man who had a family. It had been months since he incident, and she wondered what happened to his wife and kids. Did they live? Did they die? She didn't care. They paid the price when the man had stolen from Eleanor. But still…she did fell a little sad for them. She quickly pushed away the feelings. As she always said: Fuck with me and I'll kill you.

That's the same mantra Eleanor repeated when she had to kill. Nothing was going to stop her. Neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor bandits nor Runners nor Clickers will get in her way. Nor a starving family.

After all, her mother had taught her how to survive.


	3. Chapter 3

Rock Springs must have been a beautiful town once. As Eleanor walked along the cracked pavement, she observed the landscape before her. Buildings that served no other purpose except shelter, broken down cars with the wheels missing and no gas whatsoever, a gas station that probably had all of its gas siphoned out, and a high school that had a rust covered bronze statue of their mascot on the courtyard entrance. All these places were now skeletons. Nothing inside. No people. No life.

Ms. Anderson once said that she loved small towns. There wasn't any trouble and everybody knew each other. You could wave hello to your next door neighbor only to see him or her later again at the super market.

Eleanor had developed a hobby after she left West Haven and passed by several abandon cities and towns. After viewing the landscape around her, she would picture in her mind what the city or town must have been like before the world ended. Here in Rock Springs, she could picture people walking on the sidewalks with a smile plastered on their faces. The abandon buildings would be filled with people working on their computers and doing work related stuff. The broken down cars would be new and shiny and be playing music with its windows down. The gas station would be busy as people would go into the little convenience store and pay for their gas and snacks. The mascot statue would be rust free and high school students would be hanging outside enjoying each other's company and being happy.

Once she what Rock Springs might have been like, she chuckled. This could be a town she would enjoy living in. She could easily picture herself hanging out with all the other seventeen year olds at the high school. Chatting about school work, clothes…boys.

But seeing that all these places were now completely desolate, she dismissed the thought of actually having a normal life.

Normal and Eleanor were like oil and water. The two don't mix.

If she had been born before the Cordyceps began to infect millions, she probably would have had a normal life. Going to school, having friends, having family dinner with her parents, even dating a cute boy.

If somehow, everything settles down and the population begins to grow (although she knew that would never happen), what would she say to people if they ask her who she was?

"Hi! My name is Eleanor, and I been alone for five months lying, stealing and killing!"

But she realized that no matter how much she thought of herself living in the before time, she would never be normal. She stopped walking and looked down at her calloused hands. These hands did unspeakable things that only very few people would actually do.

Something pink caught her eye. She turned to her left and was facing a store of a strip mall. She looked at the sign above the door and it said "Build-A-Bear Workshop." She walked over to the store and from the broken window, she could see stuffing on the floor and several torn pieces of stuffed legs, arms, even heads of teddy bears. Nothing says creepy than a decapitated teddy bear. The only bear that was intact was pink and was sitting on a high shelf.

Eleanor climbed over the window, avoiding the glass, and a feeling of sadness crept into her as she was inside. The sadness was like a shadow, completely enveloping her as she saw the pink teddy bear. It was worn out and faded. It's pink hue now a sickly dark pink. What made Eleanor sad was not the pink teddy bear, but a display sign of a little girl holding the very same teddy bear. Though it was a photo, Eleanor could feel the happiness the girl was giving out. The girl was hugging the bear with a huge smile on her face, revealing tiny teeth. Though the sign exude happiness, it also exuded a feeling of sadness.

The girl had no idea that the world would soon end. That instead of hugging a teddy bear, she would see people all around her die or even become infected with the Cordyceps.

Eleanor pondered what happened to the girl. Is she out there somewhere alive? Did she see her parents die? Or is she infected? Eleanor has heard stories about kids being infected with the Cordyceps, but has yet to see one. And she prayed that she wouldn't see one.

Seeing that there was nothing inside that she could use, Eleanor left the building. Looking back, she imagined what the store might have been like before. Bright colors everywhere, little boys and girls running around choosing teddy bears and giving them a hug.

Eleanor walked away from the store.

"That was then," She told herself. "This is now."

* * *

_A high school that could feed hundreds and yet nothing._

With a flashlight between her teeth, Eleanor rummaged every single door and fridge the school cafeteria had. All she would find were rotten meat and spoiled salads.

After she left the toy store, she had decided the first place to check out was the high school. She knew that with hundreds of hungry students, the cafeteria should have an infinite amount of food. But as she opened every fridge and cabinet door, she came up with nothing.

After closing the last industrial fridge, she slumped down to the floor. She still had some leftover meat from the buck and several granola bars, but they wouldn't last for long. She needed to find more food and fast. Removing the flashlight from her mouth, she got up and left the kitchen.

The only place that supposedly had food was the teachers' lounge. Teachers had to eat to.

After about five minutes of going in complete circles, she found the teachers' lounge. It consisted of tables covered in years of dust and a small kitchenette. Before she got to the fridge, she could smell a pungent aroma coming from it. God knows what's in there. Ignoring the fridge, she went on opening the cabinets. Flashlight in mouth, she opened each cabinet door. Just when she was about to give up hope of finding food, in the last cabinet was a can on peaches.

"Hank hod!" She said, flashlight still in her mouth. She grabbed the can and sat down on the floor. She took her knife from her leg strap and stabbed the lid of the can. After opening it, she reached in and could feel the sticky peaches. She grabbed a handful of them and shoved them in her mouth. The taste was that of fine wine. The savory sweetness of it made her want to moan. As she swallowed them, she was in a state of serenity. It was like she was on ecstasy minus the drug induced feeling. She wanted this feeling to last forever.

With the can nearly half empty, she took out one of her containers and put in the left over peaches in it. Feeling her fingers sticky, she made her way to the restroom of the teachers' lounge. Stopping in front of a sink, she unshouldered her backpack and dug around for one of her water bottles. She took out the one that had the least bit of water. After pouring it over her sticky fingers, she rubbed the together. Hands clean, she began to put on her backpack when she caught her reflection in the mirror.

It was amazing how she almost looked like her mother. Same green eyes, same long black hair, same pale skin, same heart shape face. The only difference was that when her mom smiled, she had dimples while Eleanor didn't. Probably inherited it from her father. She would no doubt look exactly like her mom when she reached her age. _If_ she reached that age.

Back out in the hallway, she contemplated leaving, but decided to check the rest of the school. It was only one storey and didn't have that many classrooms. It wouldn't hurt to look.

Going into one hallway, she saw a banner hanged by two nails on the ceiling that said, "Vote Jennifer LaMarche and Stephen Wilkinson for Prom Queen and King!"

_They probably dead, _she thought as she passed the banner.

She went into a classroom that must have been a science class. There were small islands on one side of the room while on the other were desks that faced a white board.

She wasn't even three steps in the class room when she heard it.

The sound of a tongue clicking.

She saw a Clicker on the other side of the class room with the islands.

Eleanor took out her knife and crouched down. Normally she would have used her bow and arrow, but she only had fifteen arrows left. She needed them for absolute emergencies. The Clicker may have counted as an emergency, but there was only one of them. She could take on one. Still crouched, she stalked to the nearest island. Peeking around the corner, she saw the Clicker moving to the other islands. So long as she stayed out of sight, she would kill it. She didn't want to leave it alive and have it later kill her.

She stalked to another island, now closer to the clicker. She carefully peek around the corner and saw the Clicker's back facing her. It was standing there, fidgeting.

_Now or never._

Knife ready, she got up from her crouching position and slowly walked towards the Clicker.

Just as the Clicker was about to turn around, Eleanor rushed it and stabbed it in the back of the neck. The Clicker slumped down to the floor.

Eleanor could feel her heart going at a hundred miles an hour. It has been a while since she felt the adrenaline rush of killing an infected. That feeling of knowing one wrong move could lead you to your death made Eleanor's blood pump.

Seeing that there was nothing but a dead Clicker, Eleanor left the classroom.

There were more rooms to check. She walked down a hallway and just as she was about to turn a corner, a flash of light broke through the darkness.

"I thought I heard something." A voice echoed through the halls.

_Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!_

Noticing a door on her right, she quickly ducked in and hid behind the teacher's desk. Luckily, the desk faced the door, so whoever went in wouldn't see her.

She immediately went still when she heard the door open.

"What was that noise?" The person had a southern accent. _Great,_ Eleanor thought. _The last thing I want to deal with is a gun crazed hillbilly._

"Mustov been some stray animal." The second voice was deep, like it belonged to someone who has lots of muscles. Eleanor slowly looked up from the desk. The two men were on the other side of the classroom. One was wearing a sleeveless jacket and had the hood pulled up to his head. She could see the definition of the man's dark biceps. He could basically snap Eleanor in half if he so much as hugged her. The other had a cap on and had a crossbow on his back.

Seeing that there was probably more than one of them, she quickly assessed her options.

Option 1) she could hide and wait until they all leave the school. Since it was night, she could easily hide.

Option 2) she could sneak her way around and escape. She remembered there was a window at the end of the hall. If she managed to sneak around them, she could escape without being noticed.

Option 3) she could kill them all. If escape and hiding was impossible, she would resort to taking them out one by one.

If there was more than one, she couldn't kill them right on the spot, she would need the element of surprise to attack them. And if she were to hide, she would eventually be spotted and judging by the way the two guys looked, they didn't seem to be the friendliest type of people. That left option 2.

The two men had left the door open. While they were inspecting something on one end of the classroom, she quietly dashed to the door. She looked around the hallway, not seeing or hearing anyone. At the end of the hall was a window. Once she reached it, she turned around. No one. She unlocked it and pushed it open.

She got one leg over it when rough hands grabbed her.

Before she could let out a yelp, a hand covered her mouth.

"Well, look what I got." The voice belonged to what Eleanor would have called a sick bastard. Eleanor could smell the man and by God, she prayed that she wouldn't get some disease just by touching him.

She tried to move her arms to remove the man's hand, but his other arm had wrapped around her body. Being that the man was taller than her, when he grabbed her, she was lifted off the ground. She started flailing her legs, hitting the man's leg repeatedly.

"This one's got bite," he laughed. "I like that in a girl." He brought his nose to her neck and sniffed it. Eleanor could feel a sudden rush of cold go down her spine and all over her body. "You even smell nice."

Eleanor couldn't fathom what he would do to her.

She heard a static noise. The man let go of her mouth and reached for a radio strapped to his belt buckle.

"Yeah Sam?"

"You found anything?"

Eleanor felt the man loosed his grip and quickly took her knife out of her strap. She stabbed the man in his leg.

"Arghhh!" He let go of her and before he could even react, Eleanor pushed him. The man fell down and while on the floor, Eleanor brought down the knife on his chest. The man gasped as she removed her knife. Blood coated his jacket as the life in his eyes faded away. When he went still, Eleanor vaulted herself out of the window. She went back to the strip mall and hid in the store next to the Build-A-Bear Workshop. It was a boutique store and there were still clothes racks standing. She found a rack that was circular and had lots of sun dresses long enough to reach the floor. She pushed away the sun dresses and ducked inside the small circular space. She arranged the sun dresses until she was hidden completely. She sat down and stayed still.

After a few seconds, she could hear shouts.

"Find the person who Killed Darren!"

"Kill that sonovabitch!"

Eleanor had probably pissed off God knows how many bandits. If she stayed where she was, they would probably go somewhere else in town.

Unfortunately that didn't happen. Eleanor heard someone enter the boutique. She could hear footsteps nearby.

_Please don't see me! Please don't see me! Please don't see me!_

Her prayers have been answered as the man left.

Though she didn't hear anything, Eleanor didn't risk leaving. So she waited for a bit until she poked her head from the sun dresses. She got up and went to the broken window. She looked around the area. No one in sight. She exited the boutique and sprinted down the avenue.

When she reached the corner of the avenue, she heard a gunshot. A bullet zipped by her head which caused her to stagger. Regaining her balance, she turned around and saw five men.

"There's that bitch!"

"Get Her!"

Eleanor ran the corner as another bullet went past her. The street before her was comprised of small businesses. All but one had boarded up windows and doors. She ran to the building that had a boarded window but an open door. Inside, she slammed the door and locked it just as someone banged on it.

"Get out here bitch!" One of them yelled.

The main floor didn't have any windows. Eleanor spotted stairs and ran up. On the second floor, there was a window down a short hallway with one room on each side. She wasn't two feet to the window when she heard clicking.

She froze and stayed quiet. On her left, she could hear the clicking of several Clickers. On her right, there was no sound. God must be looking out for her.

She ducked into the right room just as she heard the door on the main floor break. She heard the clickers ran out of the room and went downstairs. Not long after, she heard screams. She felt no remorse for them as they got eaten and ripped apart. She left the room and opened the window. Luckily, there was a tree that was near. She balanced herself on the windowsill and jumped. The trunk of the tree wasn't too big so she ended up hugging it.

At the bottom, she didn't wait and took off towards the stretch of road that lead to Highway 191.

* * *

After walking for about three hours, Eleanor could see the clouds turn into a light pink. Sunrise. Before her was a highway of nothing but forests and overgrown shrubs. She looked back and was thankful that no one was following her. She feared that there may have been more bandits, but there were none.

On the horizon, she saw an abandon car. It was in overgrown grass. Once she reached it, she opened the backdoor and climbed inside. Seeing that it was abandon and beyond any use, she figured no one would bother to look inside. She laid down on the seat and looked at the ceiling of the car.

She had made it. It seemed like she wasn't going to make it, but she did.

She took out the toy superhero and clutched it in her hand.

Montana seemed closer by the day.

She was going to make it.

But not just for her.

But for Benji.


	4. Chapter 4

"_Why can't I trust anyone?"_

_Eleanor walked with her mom as they went to one of the many green houses that had just been built._

_It has been over a year when her mom taught her how to use a gun. When she taught her how to survive. The past year had been nothing but going to the shooting gallery in the basement of a clothing store. Her mom would cup her hands over Eleanor's ears as she fired at each paper target. For the first couple of times, she had missed. There was one time when they both stayed for two hours until Eleanor shot a target._

_But now instead of pointing and shooting, her mother was teaching her about trust._

_When they reached one of the green houses, her looked around to see if anyone around. When no one was, she closed the door behind her. _

"_Sweetie, I told you I wouldn't sugarcoat about anything. And trust is one of those things."_

"_So…why can't I trust anyone? Is that bad?"_

_Her mother took a few seconds to gather her thoughts. "Well…yes and no. Yes, you can trust people and do you cannot trust anyone."_

_Eleanor's brows furrowed._

"_I don't get it."_

"_Trust is like a house. People build houses. Trust can be built. Houses can be destroyed. Trust can be destroyed. Houses can be replaced. Trust can be regained. But at the same time, you can't trust anyone whatsoever. And by anyone, I mean _anyone."

"_Why?"_

"_If you're out there, and you meet people who are nice and considerate, you'll feel like you can trust them. But you can't. It may seem like they are nice people, and I'm pretty sure they are, but drop your guard, and they'll take advantage of the second they get. And when the time comes to make a hard decision, you may not agree to what they do."_

"_But what if they don't take advantage of me? What if they are nice?"_

"_Even so, you can't trust anyone. Even if they hold your life in their hands. Even if they protect you. Eventually, there will come a time when you will meet different people. People who may seem trustworthy. That they'll give you some food or water if you need it. But we all have our own agendas. We each have a different goal. And that goal can put you in danger."_

"_So…does that mean I'll be alone?" When Eleanor said alone, her mother could see her frown. The aspect of being alone is frightening. You never know what may happen. _

"_Sometimes it's best to be alone. I mean, if you're in a group, you'll get attached to them. You'll feel like they are family. But people die. And if someone in that group dies, you'll lose a part of who you are. You'll start to feel empty and you will eventually give up and don't care if you die._

"_But at the same time," she went on. "If you're in a group that isn't stable, you'll be in even more danger than you are in a stable group. Think about it, what if something doesn't go right and that group is struggling because of it. They can't think straight, and make rash decisions. Plus what if someone in that group is broken. That person will be a liability and that can be dangerous. That person could get you killed. A broken group will get you killed."_

_Like she had said earlier, she wouldn't sugarcoat Eleanor from anything. She wasn't going to give her a sheltered like. Not exposing her to the dangers that might happen will get her in trouble. Despite being so young, she _has _to know what is happening. Otherwise…_

"_But what if I meet people who actually trust me. And what if they aren't broken. What if they're nice?"_

"_Then it might be best to stay with them. But just for a while. You're odds are ten times better if you're alone."_

_She could see Eleanor taking all of the information in. She wasn't naïve. Once her mother was teaching her how to survive, she would follow each lesson and understand it. If Eleanor is older, and if there ever comes a time when she has to live on her own, she would do an outstanding job at surviving. _

"_Come on," her mother said as she took her small hand. "We have some fresh strawberries to pick."_

"_Can I have some?" Eleanor looked up at her mother beaming, her smile revealing her small pearly white teeth. Seeing a smile on her daughter's face made her happy more than anything. She ruffled her black hair and smiled._

"_Of course."_

* * *

Eleanor would be lying if she said she didn't miss the company of others. After traveling for a bit, she had come across a giant blue and grey store. She saw giant white letters that were mounted to space above one of the entrances that said, "Wal Ma t" She could see a faded R in-between the A and T. Inside, she was greeted by a giant banner that had a family, (probably a bunch of actors who don't know each other) standing near a grill. Hot dogs were being cooked as the fake family looked at them with hungry eyes and happy faces. She had come across a bunch of banners and flyers of fake families all over. She reminded herself that those families were a bunch of actors who were just getting paid to help model whatever the store was selling. That didn't make her miss being with people.

What _did_ make her feel like she was alone was a bright pink t-shirt with the head of a white cartoon cat with a red bow. The second she saw it as she was scavenging for warmer clothes for the winter, Kendra popped into mind.

Kendra, the energetic girl who always had a smile plastered on her face. You could tell her the meanest things in the world and she wouldn't let that ruin her day. She and Eleanor had meet when they were eight. They both were working with their mothers at the green houses when they accidently bumped into each other. After saying sorry, Kendra complimented Eleanor on her red bow. Eleanor's mom would often tie a bow in her hair because she looked cute. Kendra then pointed to her t-shirt which has a white cartoon cat with a red bow on one of its ears.

After that, the two became somewhat friends. Kendra would find Eleanor and she would talk to her about stuff her dad brings back from his hunts. It's how she got her cat shirt. Eleanor didn't mind Kendra. Sure she could be a little too much to handle on some days, but she was still there.

Eleanor didn't have much friends growing up. Most of the other kids would keep to themselves, but Kendra was probably the only friend she had. She was happy that there was someone there to talk to and occasionally gossip about the other people in West Haven. She recalled one time when they both had a crush on one of the look-out guards, Tony. It was when they were fourteen and Kendra was staying over. A "Slumber party" as her mother called it. They both giggled when they discussed what Tony might have looked like naked. Blame hormones.

It was one day after Eleanor had left West Haven. She had arrived at a small abandon enclave and stayed in one of the many buildings. The next night, when she was leaving the town, she stopped in her tracks. It felt like she had forgotten something. But it wasn't a thing. It was a person. Whenever she woke up and went to work in the green houses, Kendra would join her and the two would joke about something and would wave at Tony as he stood guard on one of the outposts of the wall.

It was at that exact moment when Eleanor had realized that Kendra would no longer be there. That she wouldn't join her for work or would sleep over at each other's houses and gossip about Tony.

She remembered that there was a man who would occasionally work at the green houses, Liam. Liam was missing his right arm. He lost it to an accident before the Cordyceps began to spread. Eleanor had once asked him how it felt like to have an arm one day and the next not have it. He told her that it was hard the first few months. When he had his arm, he would wake up in the morning and go to the bathroom and use is right arm to scratch his hair in the mirror. The day after he lost his arm, he said that he went to the bathroom and lifted his right arm to scratch his head. He realized that he didn't have that arm anymore. There were days where he would still do that even when he knew his arm wasn't there. He was used to using his right arm to scratch his head in the morning. He even told her that even after all these years, he could sometimes feel like his right arm was still there even when it wasn't. A "Phantom limb" he called it.

Kendra was like that. Except instead of being a limb, she was a "Phantom friend." Eleanor would wake up every night and would expect Kendra to be by her side. But she wasn't. It did take her a while before she had gotten used to Kendra not being there. But she did have her moments where she expected Kendra to pop up at any second.

Eleanor took the t-shirt off the rack and examined it. Seeing this t-shirt reminded her despite being alone for the past five months, she did miss being around people. She missed her mom, Kendra and Benji. She put back the t-shirt and went on to scavenge for warmer clothes.

She prayed that Kendra was doing alright.

* * *

_These guys are kind of cute_.

After finding warmer clothes (black of course), Eleanor wandered around the store. After finding small canned fruit, she found herself in the music isle. There were several CD's on displays racks. There was one that was labeled, "Best Sellers" and found a CD that had five guys around a red telephone booth and the title of the boy band, "One Direction."

All the guys looked cute. Especially the guy with the wavy hair. She put back the CD and explored the rest of the electronic isle. She was amazed by seeing so many plasma TV's. Small ones, big ones, they were like something she had never seen before. She sat down on the floor and looked up at the nearest plasma TV.

_So this is what it feels like to watch TV._

She smiled as she pictured herself sitting on a recliner or the floor staring watching whatever was on. Just the thought of it seemed pleasant. Relaxing while watching funny sitcoms.

_All right, that's enough._ She got up and walked towards the hardware aisle. Other than her arrows and gun, she'll need a melee weapon to defend herself. Once there, she examined each isle carefully. She can't use a sledge hammer. Too heavy and hard to handle. A hammer could be useful, but it's too small. She needs something that's durable. Something that she can handle and can pack one Hell of a lethal punch. Something…a tire iron! She left the hardware isle and went to the auto isle. After carefully examining several tire irons, she found one. It wasn't too heavy but it wasn't light either. She swung it around, testing it. Seemed to work perfectly. She tucked it away in her backpack.

What else did she need? All the food isles were completely empty, except for the cans of fruit she found. No water anywhere. Maybe she could find a-

_CLICK. CLICKCLICKCLICK CLICK._

Clickers. The only way they could have gotten in was through the front entrance of the store. And that was the only place where anyone could get in. Pulling the hood over her black jacket, she took out her bow and reached for an arrow. Armed and ready, she walked until she was behind an isle that had fake flowers. She peeked around the edge and saw seven Clickers.

But she noticed something was odd. Five of the Clickers were near the entrance while two were in the greeting card isle. One isle was tilted against another isle, but the other one didn't fall over. There was a space between the aisle and the floor. One Clicker was on one end while the other was on the other. Something caught their attention. And whatever caught their attention was inside that small space. Eleanor put two and two together.

There was a person.

Eleanor assessed her options.

Option 1) Leave the person and get out of there.

Option 2) Help the person.

This was a no brainer for Eleanor. She would have normally left whoever was there. Not her problem. But…something stopped her from leaving. Looking back at the isle, she pictured herself inside that small cramped space, scared shitless and worried about getting bit. She would want someone to help her if she was in that situation. But she wasn't inside a cramped space trapped by Clickers. She was free to maneuver around them and leave without drawing their attention. She would be free.

Then again, no one deserves to die in this life. Not in any life. She had been lucky to survive the past five months, while others were not so lucky. She had seen dead bodies of people with most of their flesh eaten and missing body parts, their scared open wide eyes staring into nothing. No one deserves to die.

She sighed. _I'm probably gonna regret this later._ She crouched down and stuck half of her body past the isle. She aimed at the closest Clicker. She released her arrow and made a perfect head shot. The other Clicker heard the noise and staggered to the noise. Once he was at the same spot as the other Clicker, she released another arrow and made a clear shot in its chest. Both Clickers dead, she walked to the card isle. She got on her knees and looked inside the small space. She heard a gasp.

A girl. It was a girl.

Eleanor looked up to see where the other Clickers were. They were still near the entrance, which meant that they didn't hear her. She looked back down in the space and ushered the girl to come out. The girl crawled out of the space and Eleanor had to grab her arms to help her up.

"Thank you! Thank you!" The girl said in a hushed whisper. Eleanor got a good look of the girl. She couldn't have been more than fourteen. Her brown hair hung below her ears. A yellow scarf was tied around her neck. She had on a grey sweater and blue jeans and some brown boots. How did she get here?

Eleanor grabbed her shoulder and pulled her down to a crouching position, hiding behind the over turned card isle.

"How did you get here?"

"I snuck in," the girl said. "I saw this store and thought that there could be something inside."

"Are you with by yourself?"

"No. I'm with a group. We're camped in the forest a mile away."

Great. Just what she needed. Some random group of strangers. The last thing she wanted was her to get involved in a group. She had met groups along the way, but she just ignored them and continued on. Maybe if she dropped this girl off at her group, they'll leave her alone.

"Listen," Eleanor said. "It's going to be a bit hard to get out of here, but we _can _get out. But I need you to be quiet and do exactly as I say. You wanna live, you'll follow my commands, got it?"

The girl nodded. Clearly she didn't know how to maneuver around Clickers. But maybe she could learn something just by watching Eleanor. She looked back up and saw a Clicker wandering around the cash registers. An idea came into mind.

She got up and turned back to the girl. "Follow me." She could hear the steps of the girl behind her as they came near the Clicker. Hiding inside a small booth of one of the cash registers, she saw the Clicker. It was oblivious to the two girls. Just as Eleanor was took out her knife, the Clicker turned around and started clicking. Eleanor put a hand over the girl's mouth.

"Not. One. Word" She said. The girl nodded. They heard the Clicker coming closer, each click getting louder and louder. But they were inside a booth, completely hidden from sight. They should be safe.

_You can do this Eleanor._

The Clicker passed by them, staggering to a different cash register. Eleanor took that moment to dash out of the booth, grab the Clicker and slit its throat. Blood sprayed all over the floor and the Clicker went limp. Eleanor held the Clicker by the collar of the shirt it was wearing and the waist of its jeans. She pushed the Clicker up to the register where the girl was hiding.

"Get behind me. And whatever you do, do not scream."

The girl went behind Eleanor and practically hugged her. She could feel the girl shaking. She must be really scared.

Eleanor pushed the Clicker to the entrance. One thing Eleanor noticed was that Clickers don't attack each other. They simply just walk past each other. She had come up with this idea when she killed a Clicker and dragged it near her and no Clicker attacked her. So she put the same concept to this situation. All they had to do was get to the door.

Just as Eleanor predicted, none of the Clickers had paid any attention to them. Outside, Eleanor pushed away the Clicker and looked at the girl.

"Where's your camp?"

She pointed to a clearing in the forest near the store. Eleanor nodded and the two went to the clearing.

* * *

"Thanks again for saving me. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't shown up." The girl led the way to the camp as Eleanor followed. She had told herself that she would drop off the girl and leave. She didn't want to get involved with whoever might be in that group. For all she knew, they could be rapists, cannibals or murderers. Or they could be just a bunch of survivors who had managed to make it through whatever fresh Hell they went through. Eleanor looked at the girl. She didn't seem that dangerous. Then again a panda looks harmless until it claws off your face.

"You needed help," Eleanor responded. "I couldn't just leave you there."

The girl nodded and they continued on words.

After a few seconds, Eleanor asked the girl what she had been waiting to ask her.

"What were you doing inside that store?"

"I just wanted to look for food. We have enough but I thought that maybe I could find something. I was just trying to help. I didn't plan on Clickers to show up at the last second."

"Is that why you were hiding in-between the isles?"

"Yeah. They say me and that was the only place I could hide in. It basically saved my life. Well…you too."

The girl seemed to OK. But what surprised Eleanor was that the girl changed moods quickly. In the store, she was scared out of her mind. But now she was having a conversation like no other.

Wait. Something didn't make sense. If she was with a group, why didn't they help her? Or at the very least follow her?

"Um…why didn't any of them follow you? I mean, I'm sure they wouldn't let you go on your own. Right?"

The girl went silent for a moment. Eleanor had caught her red handed. The girl fumbled with her hands before she spoke. "Here's the thing…I didn't tell them. They were asleep when I left."

Eleanor shook her head. "You know that's putting you at risk for getting killed."

"I know. I just wanted to help."

Someone had to teach her survival skills. Otherwise she'll become a Clicker happy meal.

"You seemed like you knew what to do." The girl looked up at Eleanor in admiration. "Especially with the bow and arrow. You took them out just like that!" She snapped her fingers.

Eleanor couldn't hide her smile. "Thanks umm…" in all the commotion, Eleanor didn't ask the girl her name.

"Amy."

"Thanks Amy. It's just something that I knew how to do."

"But how did you do that. The thing with the Clickers?"

"Clickers don't attack each other. Think of it as a wolf pack. Wolves hunt in packs and pick their prey. But they don't attack one another. That's how it is with Clickers. I guess they seemed to acknowledge one another and not rip each other to shreds. There was this time when I was hiding from Clickers when I saw they didn't attack each other. So when one of them wandered away from its group, I killed it and used it as a cow catcher."

"A cow what?"

"A cow catcher. It's those metal bars that's in front of the locomotive of a train to knock away obstacles lying around."

Amy nodded, paying close attention to Eleanor's story.

"So I killed one Clicker and used it as a cow catcher. When I came close to another Clicker, it didn't attack me. They just ignored me. That's when I discovered that trick."

"Wicked."

Before Eleanor could tell Amy more, she noticed a light. Farther ahead, she could make out the glow of a campfire.

"We're here!" Amy ran towards the fire while Eleanor followed.

As they got closer, Eleanor could see people. They must have heard Amy because all their heads turned to them.

"Amy!" A woman came running and practically gave Amy a bear hug. After hugging her for a good couple of seconds, they separated. "Where were you?!"

"I was at that store we saw a while back. I wanted to see if there was any food."

"You know it's dangerous to be out there." The woman said.

"I know I'm sorry. But I'm OK. This lady here helped me."

All eyes turned to Eleanor.

Eleanor saw five people. Counting Amy, they made six. There were three men, and two women.

Seeing all these people staring at her made her uncomfortable. This was why she avoided groups. She didn't need the unwanted attention.

"You helped her?" The woman who was hugging Amy moved towards her. Her shoulder length brown hair seemed to be illuminating from the moonlight. Even her pale skin shined. The blue sweatshirt she was wearing was a few sizes too big, even her jeans needed a belt to hold them from falling down. She looked like to be in her early thirties.

"Umm…yes?" Eleanor honestly didn't know how to answer. Here she was with complete strangers that was making her beyond uncomfortable. She didn't expect this.

What she didn't expect was the woman hugging her. Eleanor blinked a few times to see if this was real. This stranger was hugging her.

"Thank you so much for saving Amy." They separated and Eleanor stood there dumbfounded.

After gathering her thoughts, she looked at the woman.

"I-it was nothing. She just needed help and I helped."

"You should have seen her!" Amy said. "She killed two Clickers with arrows and we actually walked past right some and they didn't attack us!"

"You walked past Clickers?" A man wearing a baseball cap spoke. She could see black hair, sticking out of it. He had on a black sweater with jeans and some type of running shoes with a letter N on it. His tan skin shone against the moonlight. He must have been a few years older than her, maybe by four years.

"Uh…" This is why Eleanor avoided groups. There would be questions that she wouldn't answer. She kept her poker face as she stared at the man. "Yeah…it's a trick I learned a while ago." _Just keep it simple and don't expose anything._

"Damn girl, never pegged you as a badass." The other man, a bald black man wearing a dirt covered shirt with grey jeans spoke out in admiration. His age was hard to decipher, but he looked like to be in his mid-twenties as well.

"Zeke! Don't use that language around Amy." The other woman said. Eleanor could hear a bit of a southern accent, though it wasn't that noticeable. Her blonde hair were in two braids that went down to her chest. She had on a light blue jacket with a yellow undershirt and green cargo pants. Eleanor couldn't help but get a college vibe from her. Maybe she was the same age as the guy with the cap.

"Come on Lucy," the black man, Zeke said. "She's going to learn what they mean eventually."

"Well at least she's not cursing left and right all the time like some basketball player wanabe."

"Hey! I'm not a wanabe! I happen to be good at it." Zeke smiled proudly.

"Really?" Stated Lucy. "You lost to Carter five times whenever we pass by a basketball court."

"She does have a point Zeke." The guy with the cap, Carter spoke. Zeke playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"Just you wait. Next time I'm going to destroy you!"

_Really?_ Eleanor thought. _They just met a random stranger and now they're talking about basketball?_ As if on cue, the last man walked up to Zeke and Carter.

"Boys," he said with a gruff voice. "I think we should be focused on thanking this young woman who saved Amy." Eleanor was amazed that the man looked so buffed. He had to be in his forties, some streaks of grey in his chestnut hair, yet Eleanor could see the highlight of his muscles through his red t-shirt. His black jeans even outlined his calves. _I guess living in the apocalypse really does wonder for a man._ She chuckled.

"Why are you laughing?" Carter asked, a bemused look on his face.

"Nothing." She said quickly.

"So…who do we have to thank for saving Amy?" The buff man was looking at Eleanor.

She smiled. He played the old compliment-you-and-ask-for-your-name trick. But Eleanor was smarter than that. "I don't tell my names to a bunch of strangers. For all I know, you guys could be cannibals."

"I can assure you that we're not cannibals."

"Good to know."

"Would it help if I introduced myself?'

"…Maybe?"

The man smiled and nodded. "The names Blake. And you are?"

This would be the part where Eleanor would say one of her fake names. She was just about to say one of her aliases when Amy spoke.

"Her name is Eleanor."

Eleanor froze right on the spot. Amy knew her name. But…how? She never even introduced herself to Amy at the store.

"How do you know that's her name?" Carter asked.

"When we were stuck behind a booth she said 'You can do this Eleanor.'"

Eleanor must've said it out loud without noticing it. Fuck. Now a group of people knew her name. This wasn't good. She never gave her real name to people she had met. She didn't want to be tracked down by some gang. But here she was, in the middle of a forest, her name exposed.

"Nice to meet you Eleanor." Blake said. "Once again, thank you for saving Amy." He seemed sincere with what he was saying. This also troubled Eleanor. The people she met along the way were hostile and avoided her as if she had the flu. These people, however, were…nice. They didn't give her a dirty look nor did they reach for any weapons. They treated her like any other normal human being.

Maybe these people could be truste-

_No!_ She told herself. Her mother was right about not trusting people. They may seem like nice people, but give it time and they will do the unthinkable. She didn't want to be around when that happened.

Gaining her composure back, she looked at Blake. "It was nothing. She needed help and I helped."

"How were you able to walk past Clickers?" Carter now looked at her with curiosity.

"I'm pretty sure she can answer your question once she joins us for a little dinner." Blake waved towards the small fire pit with logs around it for sitting. She could see small plates with some bits of meat in it. There was a skinned rabbit near the plates._ Smart people_. Or maybe, not so smart. Here they were, offering her a free meal. A complete stranger they didn't even know up until literally one minute ago. They were not making it any easier for her not to trust them.

"No. I mean, you don't have to. You guys need the food more than I do."

"When was the last time you ate?" Zeke said

Before she could open her mouth, her stomach spoke for her, growling loud enough for all of them to hear.

Blake laughed. "Figures. Sophie, can you get some meat for Eleanor." The woman who was hugging Amy, Sophie, bent down by the fire and got a small plate and gave it to Eleanor.

"Here you go honey. Hope you like home cooked rabbit."

She had eaten rabbits before, this wasn't knew to her. She took the plate. "Thanks."

All of them sat down at the logs that surrounded the fire. Zeke looked up to see Eleanor still standing.

"Wanna join us?"

Eleanor mentally sighed. This was going against every rule she told herself. But just because she was with them, that doesn't mean she _has _to trust _them_. They seem to trust her because she saved Amy. Plus she would only stay long enough to eat her food and leave. Simple as that. So in a way, she wasn't breaking any of her own rules. There's a loophole for everything.

"Sure."

She plopped down next to Carter and bit into the rabbit.

This was going to be a long night.


	5. Chapter 5

If circumstances have been different, Eleanor might have enjoyed eating with other people. She had eaten with Kendra and others when she was in West Haven, so it was something she had gotten used to. Granted, there was only one mess hall so she had to sit with others. But eating with those people made her feel comfortable. Her mother use to tell her about Thanksgiving. She would sit on a chair in their kitchen, listening to her mother while she cooked breakfast. Her mother had said Thanksgiving was a time when family and friends would get together and reminiscence of shared moments in their lives. The men would watch football, the women would help around the kitchen and setting up the table, while the kids were play together. Then came the feast. Her mother had told her about one particular Thanksgiving that she had enjoyed the best. She was sitting with her family at a grand table while her other relatives talked about their lives. She was bored with all the talking, so to lighten the mood, she snuck to her room and put on a Native American costume she had worn for her 3rd grade play. She came back and did an Indian call and everyone laughed. After the small funny fiasco, she got to eat turkey. She ate at least six slices of turkey before she went off to bed and slept.

When Eleanor asked what a turkey was, her mom went on explaining how it was a bird before it was killed and cooked. Once cooked, it let of a pungent aroma of meat. It was a smell like no other. It was the kind of smell that would wake someone from their sleep. It was that delicious.

But after her mom had told the story, her cheerful smile frowned and her eyes seemed to dull in color. Eleanor asked her why she was sad. Her mother told her that nowadays, no one celebrates Thanksgiving. Most families have lost their loved ones and friends, so there was no reason to be thankful for anything. People were dying, more were getting infected, plus by the time things got worse, people stopped believing in God.

Eleanor knew that before she was born, humanity had already given up in trying to be normal. That all over the world, there were broken people who are suffering. No one would ever feel the same again.

But…there is always that silver lining that can surprise anyone.

And in Eleanor's case, it was eating a cooked rabbit in front of strangers she had met literally, five minutes ago.

She took a small bite out of the rabbit and savored the moment. It's been a while since she had rabbit. Though it was sad that a cute fluffy animal had to die, it was the only way people could live. As she chewed, she looked up from her hands and saw that the group was staring at her.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

They chuckled at her joke.

"Now that you had a meal," Blake said as he wiped his hands on his pants, "Maybe you could tell us how you rescued Amy?" Everyone looked at her with general curiosity.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

She explained to them how she figured out the trick of using a Clicker as a shield. After she was done explaining her tale, Zeke put down his rabbit meat and clapped.

"Holy shit, you really are one though white chick!"

"…thank you?"

She ducked her head down and took another bite. This really was a mistake.

"Look what you did Zeke, you scared her." Carter laughed as he saw Eleanor turn red.

"So, Eleanor," Sophie said, "What brings you out here in the middle of nowhere?"

_Keep it short. Don't tell them too much._

"I'm on my way to Montana."

"Montana?" Lucy said. "Why would you want to go up there? It's going to be freezing by the time you get there."

_For Benji._ "Something personal I have to do."

They all nodded, not asking much more. And Eleanor preferred it that way. Although…why are _they_ out here.

"Um, listen. I hope you don't mind me asking, since you asked me first, why are _you_ all here?"

Why six people would be traveling out here? Especially with a young girl? Well…ok, she was technically a little girl, but still. Plus they looked like a rag-tag group comprised of odd people you wouldn't normally see.

Blake cleared his throat. "We left our haven and are looking for a new sanctuary. The one we had been was sort of crumbling?"

"Define crumbling?"

"Our haven was guarded by the Fireflies. They practically kept our haven alive. But Marlene died, things just didn't work out. So we left."

Eleanor had heard about the death of the leader of the fireflies, Marlene. All the way in Salt Lake City, she and some of her other Fireflies were killed by some guy who was protecting a girl. The news spread quickly and it wasn't long enough before people in West Haven were whispering about it. An entire faction went down. Not long after Marlene's death, the Fireflies disbanded. There were no more attacks on cities with marshal law. It's astounding how something so big could be easily reduced to nothing.

"Besides," Blake continued on. "We heard there was another safe haven not too far from here. We're hoping to settle down there and become permanent citizens of that haven."

There was only one safe haven near them. Eleanor knew which one they were talking about. But she had to hear it from one of them.

"This haven wouldn't happen to be in Jackson County?" Eleanor wished they wouldn't say yes.

"It is." Carter said.

_Fuck_

"You headed there too?" Zeke asked.

There wasn't another safe haven for miles, and the only one that was near her was in Jackson County. And even after she rested there for a few days, she would have to travel to Montana and do the thing she promised Benji. After, she would trek back to Jackson County and like Blake's group, become a permanent citizen.

"Yes. I'm only staying there for a few days then leaving to Montana."

"What are you gonna do in Montana? Do you have family there?" Eleanor looked at Amy, curiosity clouded her face. Of course they would want to know why a girl would travel hundreds of miles to a desolate state that was barren. Not to mention the excruciating winters that could literally make someone a human popsicle stick. But she had to. It was for Benji. She could remember him saying that exact state over and over again. This was for him. But she couldn't let some strangers know Benji's wish. It was hers and hers only. No one else.

…plus she didn't want to be reminded of what happened. She didn't want to remember why she was doing this.

"…I'd rather not talk about it."

Amy's face saddened as she continued to eat. Eleanor's heart panged as she saw her sad face. Sure Amy wanted to know what Eleanor was up to, but the truth is…if she told them why she was going to Montana, it would break her. She had experienced many sad moments in her life. Her mom's death. Leaving Kendra behind.

…Benji.

No. She wouldn't relive those moments again. Never. Not as long as she lived. Once leaving West Haven, she put the past behind her and kept moving forward. She wouldn't let some shattered memory of her past get in the way of her mission.

Looking down at her bloodied hands (from eating the rabbit), there wasn't any food left for her to eat. No need for her to stay here.

"Well…" She got up and stretched her arms. "Thanks for the meal. I really do appreciate it, but I have to get going."

"Leaving already? Come one you just got here." Carter stood up and walked towards her. "At least let us give you something to eat."

"No thanks," She said as she adjusted her backpack. "I have enough food and water. I don't want to waste any more of your food." She appreciated the kindness these people were giving her, but she really did have to go. No wasting time staying here.

"Now wait a minute." Eleanor turned and say Blake get up from his log. "You sure you want to be out there all alone? Wouldn't you be safer if you traveled with us?"

Here we go. She nearly cringed as he said those words.

"I've been traveling for five months alone. I'm pretty sure I can handle myself."

"From the way Amy said you killed those Clickers, I'm sure you can. But there's safety in numbers. Plus we do feel like we owe you after saving Amy."

Eleanor wanted nothing to do more than to laugh at the man. Sure there maybe safety in numbers. A group could look after one another and use their skills to aid them in survival. But people die. Whether it's from an accident, sickness, bandits, or even the infected, someone in that group will die. And as she heard her mom mentioned, "And then there were none." She had read a book of that same quote and recited it to Eleanor whenever she asked about traveling in groups. Just like the Cordyceps, it takes just one small event to decimate an entire group of people. If she were to join one, she would get attached to people and feel like they are family in a way. And when one of them dies, she'll lose a part of herself until she's hollow in the inside, no soul and no emotions. She didn't want that.

"As much as that sounds promising, I can't. Plus I travel at night. So I don't know how me traveling at night is going to interrupt your sleep schedule."

Sophie waved her hand, as if dismissing the thought of them sleeping. "We sleep at night too dear. It's easier to navigate around."

"Yeah," Zeke piped in. "Those fuckers couldn't tell left from right, let alone up from down."

"It's true." Amy said. "Once, we passed several Runners and not one of them noticed us. It was so cool!"

Eleanor knew how Amy felt. She had passed several Runners and Clickers and she felt a rush go through her body. It was almost like an adrenaline rush but instead of running, she sneaked past them with great speed. She knew the rush Amy had felt.

"Smart people." Eleanor said, nodding at the group.

"We like to keep it that way." Carter had a smile on his face.

"Look," Blake chimed in. "I know we just met and all, but you said you were on your way to Jackson County right? Well, if you traveled with us, you'll be a lot safer if you're in a group. Believe me, your odds of surviving will triple if you're with us. We won't force you to join us. It's just a suggestion. If you agree, then welcome aboard. But if you choose to leave, then go ahead. We won't stop you."

Eleanor had just been served an entire course meal of suggestions. It was too much to stomach. Here she was, in the middle of a forest with strangers who are offering her safety. She had saved one of them and they owed it to her to at least help her in anyway. Plus they were on their way to Jackson County too. And the last time she checked her map, she was only twenty three miles away from a town called Eden. So far she had managed to survive the past five months. But everyone's luck runs out. And sooner or later, so will hers. Should she really travel with these people? They were nice. They didn't treat her as if she was a liability. They had offered her a free meal with anyone would want.

_GAHHHH!_ _Why is this so fucking hard!_

After taking in a deep breathe, she did what always did when faced with a fork in the road, she assessed her options.

She would travel with these people. If she did, she would have more supplies and could actually help them if they need supplies or ways to survive. Even though the whole safety in numbers was bullshit, it would keep her alive longer. And if there ever comes a time when she has to leave, she will. But if that doesn't happen, she would travel with them until they reached Jackson County.

She would travel alone and…do the same thing she does every passing day, survive.

This was tough, but there was only one solution. And as much as she didn't want to pick that one, she knew it was the only option. If it meant that her survival rate would increase, she would pick that one.

Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.

"So?" Carter had asked after a few seconds of her mentally deciding which option to choose.

She closed her eyes.

_I may regret this, but I have no choice._

She faced the group.

"I'll join."

* * *

**A/N: Hello there everyone, it's me Dark! Sorry if it took me a while to upload this chapter. My fall semester has started and I have four courses which take most of my time. But fear not! I am not giving up on this story. I am determined to finish it so I can start on the second installment. As I mentioned, my classes do take up most of my time, so I may not have enough time to sit down and write. But I am free on the weekends and that's when I can write. I'm hoping to get at least four chapter done by this month and submit two while I edit the others and write more. I hope you all understand. And Don't worry about the next chapter. I am almost done with it and it will have action in it.**

**Be sure to leave a review on what you think of the story so far and give me your honest opinion. I can take criticism or you could tell me how to correct some of my chapters or grammar.**

**Thank you all so much!**

**Dark. **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The rag tag group walked along the empty highway, its concrete cracked with grass growing between them. Mother Nature really was a major bitch.

After all, the Cordyceps had somehow managed to mutate and infect humans. Once the spores were inhaled, ordinary people would, literally, turn into a monster that does nothing but infect and kill. Soon, the Cordyceps began to spread worldwide. It was mass genocide. A world with a population of over 7 billion people would decline until there was only a few left across the world. It seemed that Mother Nature was punishing humanity for destroying her beauty. Maybe this was her act of revenge. Or maybe the Cordyceps really did mutate and infected millions along the way. Either or, Mother Nature was a major bitch.

As soon as the population began to dwindle, the earth began to take over. Once trimmed lawns would turn into a jungle of tall wild grass. An acre of land would turn into a forest. Houses that are skeletons would have ivy crawling up the walls. Concrete and pavement had been broken apart as plant life pierced through the tough exterior. Without people around to keep nature from taking over, the world was nothing but plant life taking over. Even cars had somehow grew types of moss and mushrooms. It seemed that humanity was not only fighting the infected, they were also fighting nature.

Eleanor walked besides Lucy, with Carter taking the rear and Amy and Sophia in front of her and Blake and Zeke up front. A mile back, they had passed a sign that said they were about 5 miles away from Eden. They were almost there. Just a little more.

When Eleanor had agreed to join the group, the others were quite happy with the decision she made. Amy had quickly walked up to her and asked her how she used her bow. Carter and Zeke had patted her on the back and welcomed her in the group. Sophie gave her another helping of cooked rabbit with a bright smile. Lucy had smiled at her and nodded her head in approval. And finally Blake had made a small speech on how that there really was hope out there in these dark times, and Eleanor was one of them.

She tried to hide her flushed face from them. It had been a while since she had actually had a full on conversation with people. And with this rag tag group treating her like she was a shining beacon that came out of nowhere, made her want to run out of there and take the risk of being alone again.

But she did have to admit, this rag tag group was better than anyone else.

They didn't try to kill her or steal her things or both. They had gave her food and they were friendly towards her. She felt something stir in her body. She was confused about this feeling she had never felt. But it took her a few seconds to finally know what she was feeling: acceptance. They didn't treat her like she was a dead rat. She felt a bit happy that there were people out there who genuinely cared and had a heart. And it was this rag tag group.

After the short introduction into the new group, they headed back to the super market and decided to camp in. After scouting the store, making sure there were no Infected, they all went to the employee lounge and slept in there.

But as soon as Eleanor close her eyes, she realized one thing. She was sleeping with random strangers. She took a corner of the room while the others took up the other neglected space. She had never felt more uncomfortable in her life. But once the sun began to set, they had woken up, ate some food and drank water, they set out on the long walk to Eden.

Now, walking beside Lucy, Eleanor couldn't believe how they were able to make it this fast to Eden. Carter, who had a watch that actually worked, had said it was 12:34 am. They had left the super market at 7:17 pm. They were almost there. Carter stated that they should reach Eden in about an hour or so, which wasn't long.

"So," Lucy's head turned towards Eleanor. "How were you able to make it this far?"

It seemed that Lucy and Eleanor had somehow bonded over the past few hours. Even though they never exchanged words until know, they seemed to have a mutual agreement with each other. She reminded Eleanor of Kendra. Although, there were major differences between them.

While Lucy seemed a bit reserved, Kendra was outspoken. She was spunky and had made the worst of a situation into a good one. While Lucy wasn't Kendra, that doesn't mean that she wasn't friendly. Maybe Eleanor should give her a chance. And that would be by telling her how she left West Haven.

"It wasn't that hard really. All I had to do was wait until it was late at night. The haven I was in actually had an underground tunnel. It was used as a shortcut for people who went out to scavenge for supplies. I waited until there was no one guarding the tunnel and snuck in. Soon, I was out in the wild and I began my adventure."

"Wow. Impressive. I wouldn't be able to do that. I would've chickened out. You have more balls than Carter."

"What?" Carter hadn't been listening to their conversation until Lucy mentioned his name.

"Nothing." Lucy said in a sing-song voice. She turned her attention back to Eleanor. "If he found out there was someone that was twice as badass as he was, he would have some serious competition. Not to mention his precious man-hood would shrivel up."

The two chuckled and continued on. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe there are people out there who can be trusted. But still, she had to keep her guard.

Looking up, she saw the clouds was covering most of the night sky. The clouds were a dark color which meant that rain would be coming soon. The last thing she needs is to get caught out in the rain and get sick. Though she carried medicine with her, she didn't risk going out in the rain.

She dug in her pockets and pulled out a brochure. Before she left the supermarket, she saw a rack of brochures and a brochure of Eden was in one of the slots.

Opening up the brochure, she studied the map. If they were going to a small town, they had to be ready for anything. But from the looks of it, Eden seemed like a place to rest. It was one of those towns people would pass by without even noticing it. So chances are that there wasn't anybody left there.

"What ya lookin' at?" Lucy tilted her head to get a better look at the map.

"It's a map of Eden. I figured maybe we cou-" Before she even finished, Eleanor tripped on cracked pavement and stumbled. She quickly regained her balance and avoided a face plant to the ground.

"Shit. You OK?" Carter said, jogging up to the duo. Eleanor looked at him with reassuring eyes.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just nearly tripped." She was a bit embarrassed that she nearly fell down in front of other people. Her cheek was red with embarrassment.

"You sure?" Carter asked. Though he only knew Eleanor for a few hours, he made sure that she, along with everyone, was alright.

"Yeah, don't worry. Just forgot to look where I was stepping."

"I understand. There were occasions where I wasn't looking and tripped."

Eleanor chuckled. "Really?"

"Really." Lucy stated. "Once, he didn't look where he was going and fell face first in mud."

"Hey. That was only one time." Carter said with a stern tone.

"Whatever klutz." Lucy playfully punched his arm and Carter returned the favor by flicking her ear.

Eleanor could tell the two were best of friends. Almost like brother and sister. In a way, they were like Eleanor and Kendra. She smiled at them. Before they could see her smile, she walked up ahead to join Zeke.

Once by his side, he looked at her, smiled and nodded his head. He turned his attention back to the road ahead.

So far, she got to be somewhat friendly with Carter and Lucy. Besides, Zeke did give off that charismatic attitude that got her attention. He seemed like the guy that would get along with everyone.

But how would she approach him. Ask him how he is. She had to say something to him. She wants to be on friendly terms with everyone. Sophia and Amy liked her because she saved Amy from being a Clicker meal. Lucy and Carter liked her because she had impressed them with her skills of survival. All that was left was Zeke and Blake.

As if he was reading her mind, Zeke bumped his shoulder with hers. "Why quiet all of a sudden Elle?"

Elle? He was calling her by one of the aliases she used for herself. If anything, she hated nicknames. She always preferred to be called Eleanor.

"Not much," she replied. "Just thinking about getting to Eden."

"We'll get there soon. Don't worry Elle."

"Why are you calling me Elle?" If she was going to be traveling with him, she at least wanted to know why he was calling her Elle.

"Short for Eleanor. Eleanor seems too formal for a girl like you."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "A girl like me? Care to explain?" She challenged him.

"Ya know, a tough badass white chick that knows how to survive an apocalypse and kick ass. Because honestly, when I first saw you, I thought your name would be Scarlet or Alice. But Eleanor doesn't really suit someone like you. No offense, I mean it's a good name, I'm not insulting you or anything, but you don't seem like an Eleanor."

She rolled her eyes at him and like Lucy, playfully punched his arm.

"Ouch." He rubbed his arm. "Damn, you can really pack a punch." He grinned at her. "Another reason why Eleanor doesn't suit you."

"Like it or not, it's what my mom named me."

"Well I think your mom has excellent taste in names." Blake had slowed down his pace and was in between Zeke and Eleanor. "A regal, fancy name. A name like that belongs to a beautiful young woman like yourself."

She looked up at the towering man. "Since when did you become a name expert?"

"I was studying history before the Cordyceps began to spread. My history class was studying about Eleanor Roosevelt."

"Who's she?"

"She was the first lady of Franklin Roosevelt."

"…and who's he?"

"He was a president."

Eleanor gave him a confused look.

"You know, the 32nd president of the United States?"

Nothing but silence.

Blake laughed and shook his head. "Honestly, did they even teach you kids anything at the haven you were staying at?"

Truth be told, Eleanor didn't know much about the past. She knew from her mother what certain events were, but not anything. The only thing they taught her and the rest of the other children was how to read, write, do math, how to treat a wound, how to distill water, and other survival skills. But history…not much.

"I'm pretty sure there are other things to worry about than history."

Blake shrugged his shoulders. "Good point. But still, your mother gave you a good name."

Zeke smirked. "I guess Eleanor it is then."

She hid her smile. She was having a somewhat normal conversation with people. Even if one of them did kind of make fun of her name. Eh. Better than nothing.

"Look!" All eyes turned to Amy who was pointing at a sign. The sign read, "Welcome to Eden!"

They were finally here.

Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief. She was thankful that they had finally made it. She looked at the sign again.

"Welcome to Middle of Butt-Fuck Nowhere Eden." She announced.

Zeke, Carter and Blake laughed while Lucy and Sophia did their best to hide their smiles. Amy looked at Eleanor with a confused look in her face.

Eleanor looked at the horizon and saw silhouettes of some buildings.

Eden. What lies before them was a mystery. Are there survivors lingering around? Did the Infected take over the whole town? Do bandits live there? Or was it just abandoned like any other small town?

None knew.

There was only one way to find out.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! Dark here. Whew! Though this chapter was short, I had to edit it several times. This chapter was just Eleanor getting to interact with the group. After all, they had to have said something otherwise it would be one long awkward quiet trip. But our group has finally made it to Eden! What will Eden have in store for our heroes? You'll find out in the next chapter which will be uploaded soon!**

**Until I post another chapter...This is Dark signing off.**


	7. Announcement

ANNOUNCEMENT!

Hello everyone, it's me Dark bringing you some important news!

As you all know, I'm currently writing What Once We Were and I realized I haven't been updating that much. Blame college.

But aside from that, I realized something. Since I'm writing a trilogy that takes place in The Last of Us universe, the second installment is from first person perspective, not from third person. That's because…well…I can't tell you why. It's a secret.

But it got me thinking that What Once We Were will seem completely different than the second and third installment, being that after WOWW it's going to be from first person.

So…it has come to a decision that I will be revising WOWW.

I came to the decision when I realized that I suck at writing from third person. That and also I really wanted for readers to see what was going on in Eleanor's mind.

So for a while, I won't be updating anytime soon as I am revising.

But fear not fanfiction reader! I will still be around and who knows, an update will happen soon!

Also, since I mentioned that I'm writing a trilogy, I won't be giving too much away. But if you really are interested, PM me if you want information about the second installment. The second installment will be a lot darker than the first one. I won't give too much away, what the theme is.

That is all I have to say. Remember, if you want some small information about the second installment, PM me and I will tell you about it.

And for those of you who are new…hello! My name is Dark, and I am writing a Last of Us trilogy that takes place in The Last of Us universe.

Thank you all for the views and reviews! Seeing all the positive feedback is really helping me step up my A game. Thank you all. You're awesome.

Until we meet again.

Dark.


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